Doctor’s New Book Offers Children an Entertaining Way To Learn the Fundamentals of Good Nutrition

Doctor’s New Book ‘Griffin the Dragon and Healthy Eating Habits for Kids’ Offers Children an Entertaining Way To Learn the Fundamentals of Good Nutrition. Griffin the Dragon returns for a third appearance in Dr. Ken Mask’s most recent illustrated children’s book, this time showing his friends how and why to eat healthy.

The third in a series of children’s books by physician Ken Mask, ‘Griffin the Dragon and Healthy Eating Habits for Kids’ addresses not only the importance of sound nutritional choices for children, but also highlights the positive influences that kids can have on each other as they develop friendships and are faced with making healthy decisions. Colorful, entertaining illustrations by Curtis Pierre accompany Mask’s equally entertaining text that doubles as an informational guide about saying no to junk food, how to avoid preservatives, proper portion size, and where to find the freshest food.
In Mask’s latest book starring Griffin the Dragon, Griffin has just woken from a sleepover with his two friends—Jackson the Hyena and an eight-year-old boy named Cattails. Their morning conversation is directed by Griffin, who begins the day with discussions about healthy eating and how this benefits a young mind and body. Jackson and Cattails would prefer fried chicken and candy for breakfast, but Griffin reminds them (echoing what they hear from parents and teachers) that it is more important to eat a balanced meal of fresh foods. The banter between the characters is lighthearted and educational. Each page of text is followed by a corresponding illustration—bright and detailed—depicting the characters enjoying breakfast together, gathering around the computer to do research on healthy eating, and goofing off.
At a time when the message to young people about health and nutrition is sometimes contradictory—fast food ads and get-slim-quick gimmicks flood our televisions and social networking news feeds—Mask’s book shares some basic truths about what eating healthy really means, and does so in a way that is non-threatening and fun, even for the most finicky in the family. Mask’s primary goal, with all three books in this series, is to motivate kids to read more.
“The main reason for doing this series is to promote increased reading habits. The healthy eating habits book,” Mask explains, “cuts across all lines of interaction, including reading, learning and growing. Hopefully adults will get a kick out of it too, appreciating the humor conveyed in some of the quotes and dialogue between the characters.”
The theme of peer influence on establishing healthy eating habits is a positive thread throughout this story. Mask’s own eight-year-old son Joshua helped develop the idea and is the inspiration behind the book.
“Joshua is a healthy eater naturally and wanted to help promote this to other kids,” says Mask. “The emphasis on healthy eating for adults is usually the main focus of media, so we thought that it would be fun and exciting to get kids on board early. Together with his sister Alexandra, Joshua wanted to encourage good habits in others their own age.”
‘Griffin the Dragon and Healthy Eating Habits for Kids’ is published in eBook format by eBookIt.com and is now available at popular online retailers including Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com and Apple’s iBookstore. Hard copy versions are available as well.